The leaders’ debate has certainly shaken things up a bit. Nick Clegg was put ahead on the night and since then, polling has shown our campaign gaining momentum. The soundbite of the night must be ‘I agree with Nick’.
I met a gentleman over the weekend as I was out door knocking and he told me, he had always thought he only had a choice between Tory or Labour – since the debate, he’s seen that there is another option. Out in Mitcham town centre on Saturday, people were coming up to me and saying they were shifting their vote – I’ve had people wave across the street calling out that they are for us. Whilst campaigning in Surrey on Sunday, Nick Clegg said, “The opportunity is immense. A growing number of people are starting to hope, starting to believe a little door has opened.” He added, “The old parties, when they feel things aren’t going their way, they start lashing out.”
It is clear that both Labour and Conservative entered the election on the basis that they were the only game in town – I think that speaks volumes about how they view the voter and how they see themselves in British politics. For 65 years, they have been passing the keys of No 10 back and forth and it suggests an arrogance in both camps, that they think that this should just continue. This election is about more of the same with Labour and Conservative – or real change with the Liberal Democrats.
